NEW ENGLAND MUSIC AWARDS – SIX CHORDS GRILL
On Sunday 12/11 2023, New England Music Awards held their annual awards ceremony at the Six String Grill and Stage in Foxboro, Massachusetts, to a packed musical luminary. The room was packed wall to wall with amazing talent from all over the New England area. This being my first year on the Nominating Committee, I had no idea what to expect. To my surprise, the Six String Grill was packed with music industry heavyweights and tons of incredible musicians.
Walking around the grounds, I ran into several old friends and met many new ones. Several of the artists that were there were from my nominations and I felt proud that they made the shortlist for awards in various categories. All of Shame Penguin sat by the bar. Zero One Zero was well represented. Octavate was another group that appeared. My cousin, Rick Fleck, who is a DJ at WaveRadio Boston and one of the evening's hosts, introduced me to several artists, including Robotic Hawks who eventually won the Rising Star: New Hampshire award.
Photos by Ryan Davey
Beloved son, Frank Viele was also present. He came a little late but made up for lost time. He practically knew the whole room. Frank guided me, setting up meetings with many of his fellow singer/songwriters. These were artists I knew through their social media posts, but had never met in person. Nick Bosse, Gracie Day, Lee-Ann Lovelace and Kier Byrnes (of Kier Byrnes and the Kettleburners) were just a few. Viele is a force to be reckoned with both musically and socially. In addition, Viele won the coveted Act Of The Year award. A first for a CT native.
Other notables included Rafe Klein from The Name Droppers and his beautiful wife. They won Blues Act of the Year, which they deserved. Shame Penguin won the Punk Rock category as well as Sepsiss for Hard Rock/Metal band. The Gravel Project won the Roots division. These are all artists that AMP has featured in the past. Rising Star: CT went to The Midnight Anthem. Other notable winners were Air Traffic Controller for album of the Year and Mel Go Hart for Producer of the Year. I was a little disappointed in this category since good friend Vic Steffens was nominated. Hip Hop Act of the Year went to Chase Stebbins and The Only Known.
All evening the festivities went off without a hitch. All the presenters were entertaining even though their microphones seemed a little too low. The production team had everything like clockwork. In between the awards, the house was entertained with an incredible variety of live acts. Muddy Ruckus opened the night with a rousing set. Other performers included American Ink, The Midnight Anthem, Tyler Levs and Joliet4 and 12/OC to name a few. Every artist had the space bouncing with rocking vibes.
As I mentioned before, this was my first year participating. There are a lot of people who I think deserve a huge amount of recognition. John Fleming as Executive Director has created a very important voice for the local music community in the North East. There are so many intoxicating artists across all genres who need a place to be heard and celebrated in the North East and John has given them that awesome outlet.
Lindsay J. Van Kauwenberg as Producer was flawless. He seemed to coordinate the whole event with understanding and patience. This is a huge undertaking and Lindsay handled it with the utmost grace. Sound engineer Aidan Reardon did a great job.
Finally, Six String Grill should take a bow. It was a full house, but the staff kept their cool. Drinks and food came quickly and with a smile. Overall the evening was a huge success. I'm really looking forward to next year. Below is the full list of winners and a list of the amazing presenters and staff.
2023 Category Award Winners
Act of the Year – Frank Viele
album of the Year – Air Traffic Controller
Song of the Year -12/OC “Shoot You Down”
Producer of the Year – Mel Go Hard
Songwriter of the Year – Lainey Dionne
Male Performer of the Year – Nick Casey
Female Performer of the Year – Annie Brobst
New Act of the Year – ToriTori
Live Act of the Year – The Q-Tip Bandits
Blues Act of the Year – The Name Droppers
Rock Act of the Year – Moxie
Punk Act of the Year – Shame Penguin
Americana Act of the Year – Adam Ezra Group
Country Act of the Year – April Cushman
Pop Act of the Year – The Side Chick Syndicate
Hard Rock/Metal Act of the Year – Sepsis
Roots Act of the Year – The Gravel Project
Hip Hop Act of the Year – Chase Stebbins & The Only Known
Jazz Act of the Year – Smug Honey
Soul/R&B Act of the Year – Miranda Rae
Rising Star: Connecticut – The Midnight Anthem
Rising Star: Massachusetts – American Ink
Rising Star: Rhode Island – Jackson Cafferty
Rising Star: New Hampshire – Robotic Hawks
Rising Star: Vermont – All Night Boogie Band
Rising Star Maine – Tyler Levs
Video of the Year – Eddie Japan, “Time Machine” feat. Greg Hawks
Global Act of the Year – Nicolás Emden
2023 New England Music Awards: DECADE AWARD – Jay Psaros
EXECUTIVE STAFF
John Fleming – Executive Producer
Lindsay J. Van Kauwenberg – Producer
Aidan Reardon – Sound Engineer
Adam Lopez – Co-Host
Annie Brobst – Co-Host
PRESENTERS
Amanda Morneault of The Harbor Agency
Kara Kharma of Pria Music Marketing
Rick Fleck of WaveRadio Boston
Gerg Anidem of Indie Scene Radio
John Shea, 95.9 WATD
Geoff Wilbur of Geoff Wilbur's Music Blog
David Avery of Powderfinger Promotions
Jim Belisle Boots and Whiskey
Munk Duane, NEMA and Grammy nominated singer
Jeff Rosen of Cherrywood Records
Adam Greenberg of Rockwood Music Hall
Visits: 8
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